No-Bake Turtle Pie starts with a layer of gooey chocolate caramel sauce that’s topped with a creamy peanut butter filling and then drizzled with more caramel sauce. With an Oreo crust base, it’s easy to assemble before it spends time time in the fridge. This rich and creamy dessert won’t take up time in the oven and will hold it’s shape when sliced.
The Best Turtle Pie with Homemade Caramel Sauce
This No-Bake Turtle Pie has all the flavors of turtle candies–chocolate, pecans, caramel, and peanut butter. It’s the perfect no-bake dessert when you want something decadent but don’t feel like baking.
The melt-in-your-mouth chocolate caramel sauce has pecans in it giving it a little texture and a nutty taste. This sauce is not just drizzled over the top, but makes up the bottom layer of the pie as well. The sauce is a basic caramel sauce made with sugar, water, corn syrup, and cream.
Once it’s formed, you’ll add chocolate, and pecans. It develops into a thick, syrupy consistency when cooked on the stovetop.
The filling consists of cream cheese, marshmallow cream, heavy cream, and smooth peanut butter. It’s kind of like fluffy cheesecake perfect for plopping on top of the caramel sauce base. I add an extra drizzle of caramel on top because why not?
Have you ever made an Oreo crust? It’s easier than you might think and you have extra Oreos to munch on. It’s only Oreo’s and butter. If that seems like too much chocolate, then use a pecan crust like I use in a chocolate possum pie.
The Oreo crumbs will stick to the pie better when sliced if you bake it first. If you don’t want to bake it, just refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before adding the filling.
If you’re in a hurry and want these flavors in a candy form, try making some chocolate pecan turtle candies, they’re a Southern tradition.
Why This Turtle Pie Recipe is Sure to Become Your New Favorite:
- Make-ahead friendly: You can make this pie ahead of time, so it’s perfect for parties or any time when you need a show-stopping dessert.
- It’s creamy & rich: The filling is somehow both rich and creamy but doesn’t feel like a heavy dessert.
- Crowd-pleaser: If you’re a fan of turtle candies, chocolate, or caramel, you’ll fall in love with this dessert.
Turtle Pie Ingredients
- Crust: You’ll make a crust out of crushed Oreos and melted butter.
- Sauce: You’ll need sugar, light corn syrup, heavy cream, dark or semi-sweet chocolate chocolate, chopped pecans, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Filling: You’ll need a block of full-fat cream cheese, butter, marshmallow cream, heavy cream, and smooth peanut butter.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step One: Make an Oreo Cookie Crust
Crush the Oreos and mix them with melted butter. You can use a food processor or a rolling pin with a plastic bag to crush the cookies into fine crumbs. Press the mixture into a pie pan to form a crust, then bake it and let it cool.
Step Two: Prepare the Caramel Sauce
Cook sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns a rich amber color.
Stir in cream, chocolate, butter, pecans, and vanilla. Let it cool slightly before using.
Step Three: Assemble the First Layer
Pour a layer of caramel sauce into the crust and chill it until firm.
Step Four: Whip Up the Filling
Using a stand mixer, blend cream cheese, butter, marshmallow cream, peanut butter, and heavy cream until fluffy. Spread this whipped cream mixture over the caramel layer and refrigerate.
Step Five: Finish with Caramel
Drizzle some of the caramel sauce on top of the pie and serve with any extra sauce.
Change It Up
- Store-bought pie crust: Don’t feel like making the chocolate cookie crust? Buy a store-bought one instead. You could also make a homemade graham cracker crust for a less decadent spin.
- Toppings: Feel free to get creative with other toppings. You can add shredded coconut, or toffee bits. If you love peanuts use them instead of pecans.
- Caramel: Try adding salt to the caramel for a salted caramel sauce.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature: Use room temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps when blending it with the topping ingredients. Learn How to Soften Cream Cheese if you forgot to soften it.
- Texture: If you prefer a firmer texture like ice cream cake, you can let the pie freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Make-ahead: You can prep the entire pie and store it in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months before serving. You can also make the caramel sauce up to 2 weeks ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
- Let it set: The pie needs to set for at least 2 hours before serving or it will be runny and not easy to slice.
Storing Information
Cover the pie with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This cake is also perfect for freezing. Wrap it in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, and pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before eating.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
Crust
- 16 Oreos
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 2 tablespoons butter room temp
- 1 cup marshmallow cream (7 ounce jar)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate
- Crust: Add Oreos to a food process and process until finely ground. Add melted butter and process just to incorporate, with 3-4 pulses. Place in the pie plate and evenly spread it on the bottom and sides using a flat bottom dry measuring cup to pat it into place. Bake for 13 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Sauce: Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring for 6-8 minutes until it is straw colored. Turn down the heat to medium low and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally until it turns an amber color, about 4-6 minutes. A thermometer should read 350º to 360º.
- Remove from the heat and stir in cream. Add chocolate and butter and let it sit for a minute then whisk until it’s smooth and the chocolate has melted. Stir in pecans, vanilla and salt. Let cool slightly.
- Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the baked pie crust and refrigerate until set and no longer liquid, about 1 hour. Reserve the rest for later.
- Filling: With a mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add marshmallow cream, peanut butter and cream and mix on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Spoon into the pie crust on top of the layer of caramel, spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until the filling is set, about 2 hours.
- Once the filling is firm to the touch, drizzle the remaining caramel mixture over the top. If it is too thick to pour, microwave it at 10 second intervals until it is pourable. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes to let the caramel set before cutting.
Notes
- Baking the crust will help the crumbs stay on the filling when cut. Another option is to refrigerate the crust for an hour before adding the caramel.
- You can use a store bought crust.
- This pie freezes well in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap and the aluminum foil.
